Chapter 23 Summary

The narrator decides to leave the Auberge de Jehan Cottard and Paris altogether to take a job in London that a friend writes him about. After his last day at the Auberge, he sleeps around the clock and then loafs for two days. He gets cleaned up and wears his best suit to the Auberge for a drink.

He tells the story of Roucolle, a well-known elderly man in the quarter, who died a few years past. Roucolle was a miser but had lots of money. A young Pole and a Jew convince Roucolle to invest in a cocaine scheme. Roucolle deliberates for a long time but finally concedes because the profits are to be spectacular. He puts 6,000 franks into the scheme. The deal turns out to be a scam, and the heartbreak of losing 6,000 franks kills Roucolle within three days. Charlie says...